Blurred thumbnails on Xiaomi: why it happens and how to get clarity back

You open a gallery on your Xiaomi smartphone, but instead of clear previews, you see blurred thumbnails of photos or videos? This problem is familiar to many users of devices on MIUI - from budget Redmi to flagship Xiaomi 13/14. Blurring can manifest itself on individual files or en masse, and sometimes accompanied by a long load of previews or errors when opening.

In this article, we’ll look at all the possible causes, from firmware bugs to gallery settings that are incorrect, and give you step-by-step instructions for restoring the clarity of thumbnails. We’ll focus on the differences between MIUI 12/13/14 and smartphone models, because the preview algorithms are different. If you’ve tried to reboot your phone or clean your cache, but the problem remains, you’ll find solutions that aren’t written in the standard guides.

Why miniatures become blurry: the main reasons

Blurring previews in the Xiaomi gallery is rarely an accident, 90% of the time it is the result of one of the system or software problems, and here are the key reasons, ranked by frequency:

• 🔄 Gallery cache failure: MIUI It uses cached thumbnails to speed up loading, and if the cache is damaged, it loads the low-resolution preview.
• 📱 Optimization MIUI Resource saving: On weak devices (e.g. Redmi) 9A POCO M3) The system automatically reduces the quality of previews.
• 🔧 Gallery display settings: In some versions MIUI there are hidden parameters that affect the sharpness of thumbnails (for example, the option “Saving traffic»).
• 🐞 Firmware bugs: Especially relevant for beta versions MIUI or after major updates (e.g., transition from MIUI 13 on MIUI 14).
• 🗃️ Storage problems: If the device runs out of space or the file system is damaged, the gallery cannot properly generate a preview.
• 🤖 Conflict with the optimizer MIUI: Security sometimes blocks the background processes of the gallery.

It is interesting that on some models (for example, Xiaomi). 12T Or the Redmi Note 11 Pro.+) blurring thumbnails can be manifested selectively - only for videos or photos shot in certain modes (for example, Night Mode or the scaling of the thumbnails). 50MP). This is due to the specifics of processing RAW-file MIUI.

⚠️ Note: If only screenshot thumbnails become blurry, the problem lies in the compression system settings. MIUI By default saves screenshots in the format WEBp with aggressive compression.

How to check if it is a system problem or an app bug

Before you start fixing, it is important to understand whether the problem is related to the MIUI gallery itself or to system settings.

If the thumbnails are clear in Google Photos or through FX File Explorer, but blurred in the standard gallery, the problem is exactly in the com.miui.gallery app. If blur persists everywhere, including file managers, system settings or file corruption are to blame.

Another test is to create a new camera image and check the thumbnail, and if the new photo is clearly displayed and the old one is blurred, it indicates that the cache or metadata of the old files is damaged, which is often the case after you transfer the photo from another device or restore it from a backup.

Step-by-step: how to fix blurred miniatures

Below are generic methods, sorted from the simplest to the more complex, start with the first item and move on to the next one if the problem is not solved.

1.Cleaning up gallery cache

The fastest and safest method that helps in 60% of cases:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the gallery (com.miui.gallery) and tap it.
3. Select Warehouse. → Clear the cache.
4. Reset the device.

After the reboot, wait until the gallery rebuilt the thumbnails (it can take 5-15 minutes depending on the number of files), and if the cache is damaged, the previews become clear.

2.Reset gallery settings

If cleaning the cache didn’t help, reset the app settings:

1. From the gallery menu (Settings → Applications → Gallery) select Storage → Delete Data.
2. Confirm the action (this will delete all custom settings of the gallery, but will not affect the photo / video itself).
3. Open the gallery and wait for the files to be indexed again.

⚠️ Note: On some models (Xiaomi 13 Ultra, Redmi) K50) Gallery data reset also removes albums and tags.Export important tags in advance through Gallery Settings → Backup.

3. Disabling MIUI Optimization

MIUI aggressively optimizes background processes, which can interfere with the proper loading of thumbnails.

1. Go to Settings → Battery and Performance → Application Power Management.
2. Find the Gallery and set a No Limits mode for it.
3. Also, turn off the Adaptive Optimization option in the same menu.

4.Verification of the vault for errors

If thumbnails are blurred even in file managers, the problem may be that the file system is damaged.

1. Connect your phone to your PC and copy all the important photos/video to your computer.
2. In Settings → Warehouse → Cleanup, select Deep Cleanup.
3. If you have root access, run the command in Termux: fsck -f /dev/block/mmcblk0p1 (replace the path with the one that is relevant to your model).

5. Update or roll back firmware

If the blur appeared after the MIUI update, try:

• 🔄 Update to the latest stable firmware version (Settings) → The phone. → Updating the system).
• 🔙 Reverse to the previous version via the Mi Flash Tool (power users only!).
• 📥 Install Global ROM, if you have China ROM (It often has gallery bugs).

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Before resetting or flashing, check if your photos are synced with Mi Cloud (Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Gallery) and this will save your files even if you reinstall the system completely.

Specific solutions for different Xiaomi models

Some models have unique miniature bugs, and here's what's going to help in specific cases:

On Xiaomi 13 Ultra and 14 Pro, blurring thumbnails may be work-related AI-- Try to turn off the option. AI-camera in the settings of the shooting and take a test shot – if the thumbnail became clear, the problem is in the Leica algorithms.

How to prevent the re-blurring of miniatures

To prevent the problem from returning, follow these recommendations:

• 📁 Clean the gallery cache regularly (once every 1-2 months).
• 🔄 Turn off automatic storage optimization in Settings → Warehouse → Cleanup → Settings.
• 🖼️ Use alternative galleries (such as Google Photos or Simple Gallery) if the problem recurs.
• 📱 Don't keep the photo on. SD-map (MIUI poorly optimized for external storage).
• 🔧 Update your firmware, but avoid beta versions MIUI — They often have bugs with media files.

If you often transfer photos between devices, disable the option to Optimize for the Web in file transfer settings (for example, via Mi Share or Nearby Share) before copying.

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On devices with MIUI 14 and newer thumbnail blur is often associated with function AI-Disable it in the gallery settings. → Additionally. → AI-Searching if you don’t use smart photo search.

Frequent questions about blurred miniatures on Xiaomi